Dr. Oz's Lifestyle Tips for Longer Life

While it's no secret that many health experts believe diet and exercise are the keys to living a healthy life, a new study out of Germany claims that making four lifestyle changes can help reduce the risk of major chronic illness by much more than previously thought.

According to the seven-year-plus study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who do not smoke, have a body mass index lower than 30, exercise for at least three-and-a-half hours each week and eat a healthy diet with many fruits, vegetables and whole-grain bread can reduce the risk of chronic illness like diabetes, heart attack, stroke and cancer by an average of nearly 80 percent.

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Before his new show, "The Dr. Oz Show," gets started in September, Dr. Mehmet Oz dropped by "Good Morning America" to help explain what the study can mean for you and how you can make small changes in your life that may drastically improve your health.

Healthy Tip 1: Quit Smoking

The most important of these four changes, according to Oz, is to quit smoking. According to the American Heart Assocation, smoking accounts for more than 440,000 deaths every year.

Cigarette smokers have a higher risk of developing several chronic disorders, including cancer, heart disease and stroke, according to the AHA.

Thousands of Americans struggle every year with starting and maintaining a diet, but according to Oz, you shouldn't focus on excluding the things you want from your diet, but rather including better foods.

"It's not, 'I shouldn't have a brownie,'" Oz said. "It's, 'I should have more leafy greens.'"

By making sure you eat the healthy foods, you'll be full enough so you'd be less likely to eat the foods that are not as good for you.

Shopping List for Healthy Living

Check out the Dr. Oz-approved list of healthy foods below before you head to the supermarket to make sure your family is eating healthy.